Chapter Seventeen: The Ruse

Shu Zucheng flicked away his cigarette, crushed it underfoot, and looked Shu Yiming up and down before asking, “A-Ming, you’re aware of what happened today, aren’t you?”

“Uncle, I just went to the station,” Shu Yiming replied. “I ran into Miss Zhu Wanwan and invited her to dinner. She didn’t lie to me—she said you’d definitely be released, and here you are.”

Shu Yiming was so excited he nearly teared up; he gave his eyelids a squeeze, inwardly admiring his own performance.

Shu Zucheng had his suspicions and had prepared a string of probing questions, but now, seeing nothing amiss, his brow furrowed deeply in thought.

“Uncle, were you waiting for me? You really don’t have to—get some rest. Dinner was late and cost tens of thousands, but Miss Zhu Wanwan was delighted. Uncle, maybe in the future we can even connect with the Tiansheng Group. Don’t let this incident weigh on you.”

Shu Yiming’s exaggerated grin couldn’t have looked more foolish, but he knew he had to play dumb for now. Shu Zucheng still held the trump card, and Shu Yiming wasn’t his match yet.

Lying low… Sometimes, it’s the only way to survive. No matter the anger boiling within, he had to take things step by step—there was no rushing this.

Unable to sense anything odd, Shu Zucheng calmed down, chuckled softly, and said, “You rascal, you’ve grown up. You’re truly my A-Ming. From now on, Uncle will be relying on you. The hope of the Shu family rests with you.”

“Uncle, I’m not much use. I’ve never been the best since I was a child. When my cousin returns from his studies, the two of us will work hard together. The Shu family depends on him as well!”

Still smiling, Shu Yiming stepped inside. His heart sank a little, but the smile on his face never faded.

After a round of pleasantries and seeing Shu Zucheng off, Shu Yiming finally breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the sofa, his whole body weak. He closed his eyes and dozed for a while.

However…

Shu Yiming vaguely sensed something off—someone seemed to have draped a blanket over him. Through his barely open eyes, he could make out a figure with long hair and a delicate face.

Huh?

Shu Yiming sat up with a start, instinctively grabbing the pale hand before him.

“Ah!” Lin Peishi shrieked, and only then did Shu Yiming remember—after last time, Lin Peishi had moved in and was sharing a room with Shu Jinghan.

“Oh, it’s you. Sorry, reflexes. Haha.”

Embarrassed, Shu Yiming released Lin Peishi’s hand, his cheeks reddening.

Lin Peishi rolled her eyes. She’d only covered him with a blanket out of kindness, seeing how deeply he slept, never expecting her hand to be seized so tightly.

Girls are easily misunderstood in these situations; her face was already flushed red as she murmured “It’s fine,” and quickly turned to leave.

Who could have guessed that as she turned, she bumped straight into Shu Jinghan.

Shu Jinghan had come out after hearing the commotion and was peeking at the two from the side. Startled by Lin Peishi’s sudden turn, she clapped her hands over her face in panic. “I didn’t see anything, I’m sleepwalking, I’m sleepwalking…”

This made Lin Peishi’s face burn even hotter, like a crimson apple. She hurried after Shu Jinghan, stammering, “It’s not what you think! You misunderstood!”

“No, really, nothing happened! You didn’t see wrong!”

“It’s true, absolutely nothing happened!”

Sometimes, the more you explain, the less sense it makes. Frustrated by her own inability to clarify, Lin Peishi couldn’t help but replay the scene in her mind over and over—it was as if it had been branded there.

Lin Peishi slept poorly that night. The next morning, half-awake, she stumbled out of her room.

Shu Yiming was always an early riser, but after the previous night’s chaos, he’d barely slept and couldn’t keep his eyes open in the morning.

Bang—

He bumped into something soft.

They both opened their eyes at once, awkwardly facing each other, cheeks aflame.

Shu Jinghan, emerging from her room, was taken aback by the sight at her door. Her own face turned red as she quietly turned away.

“Ah—um, I have something to do. I’ll go ahead. Oh, and don’t bother making me breakfast,” Shu Yiming blurted out, hastily leaving—escape was the best option right now.

All the way out, Shu Yiming marveled at his sudden good fortune with women—his luck seemed to have changed. Thinking back, he wondered why he’d always been so overlooked before.

Just as his mind wandered, his phone buzzed several times in quick succession.

“Darling, where are you? I’m back now—will you come pick me up?”

“I’m about to land. Hurry up, I’ll be waiting for you. If you’re not here in half an hour, I’ll be mad!”

“Sweetheart, why haven’t you replied yet?”

Seeing who it was, Shu Yiming’s brow creased in annoyance. Some kinds of romantic luck he welcomed, while others he wanted nothing to do with.

The messages were from Sun Qianqian, and that instantly put him in a foul mood, his mind ringing with irritation.

Sun Qianqian was his girlfriend, who had left a week ago for some overseas conferences and hadn’t been in touch. Now, with Wu Jun in trouble, she’d returned immediately—just like in his previous life.

Back then, Sun Qianqian and Wu Jun had colluded to set him up. She left first and vanished without a word, and out of concern, Shu Yiming had agreed to her every request.

This time, Shu Yiming didn’t hesitate; he blocked her number, deleted the messages, and pretended he’d never seen them.

But what he didn’t expect was that upon arriving at the office, he’d run straight into Sun Qianqian.

She was sitting with Shu Zucheng on the sofa, chatting happily. Sun Qianqian was all smiles, her dress cut daringly low.

Shu Yiming wondered how he’d ever had such poor taste—how could he once have found this vulgarity sexy?

At the sound of footsteps, Sun Qianqian jumped up, adjusted her clothes, and, with a syrupy smile, flung herself at Shu Yiming, calling him darling as she wrapped herself around his neck like a snake.

“Qianqian, how long have you been back?” Shu Yiming pushed her away, tugging at his collar impatiently and instinctively keeping his distance.

“But…” Sun Qianqian faltered, her lips trembling as she looked at him with teary, wounded eyes.

“A-Ming, what’s wrong?” she asked, coming closer, clutching his sleeve, tears streaming down her cheeks.

In the past, Shu Yiming would have softened.

“Qianqian, I already have a girlfriend. When you left, I never thought you’d return, and neither did you, right?”

If not for Wu Jun’s trouble, she probably wouldn’t have come back at all.

Sun Qianqian’s eyes reddened further as she tried to explain, but Shu Yiming stood up and left without a backward glance, giving her no chance at all.